North Korea to promote tourism for 1st time outside country in Vietnam

North Korea will introduce its tourism for the first time outside the country at the Vietnam International Travel Mart in Hanoi (VITM Hanoi 2019) later this month, according to the organizers of the event.

VITM Hanoi 2019 will last from March 27 to 30, with the participation of 25 nations and territories. North Korea and Peru will join the event for the first time.

This is the first time that North Korea has planned to promote its tourism outside the country to foreign visitors, Vu The Binh, standing deputy director of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said at a news conference in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Vietnam will create the best possible conditions for North Korean tourism to present itself at VITM Hanoi 2019, Binh said.

“We have made arrangements to work with the North Korean delegation on tourism promotion,” he added.

“We will create the best possible conditions for them but how to open their country is up to them.

“We’re still not sure if there is any agreement to be signed between us at the event.”

But Binh noted that some Vietnamese travel agencies were eager for tourism opportunities in North Korea.

“Some have put forward ideas that a specialized center should be set up to bring Vietnamese tourists to North Korea,” Binh revealed.

He expressed his hope that North Korea will change its mindset and move forward faster, given this unexpected tourism promotion.

The North Korean delegation is scheduled to make a presentation on their nation and people on March 29.

VITM Hanoi 2019 will be attended by 720 companies from 47 Vietnamese localities, and 25 countries and territories, with 502 booths, equal in scale to the 2018 edition.

Green Tourism has been chosen as the main theme of the tourism fair this year, to take place at the Hanoi International Exhibition Center at 91 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

Many sewers along the streets in Ho Chi Minh City have their entrances blocked by garbage on a regular basis, negatively impacting urban esthetics and the environment while helping cause serious flooding.

Despite the sweltering weather in Hanoi these days, many young people still flock to lotus ponds surrounding the capital city’s iconic Ho Tay (West Lake) to pose for Instgram-ready photos with a sea of blooming flowers.